Chapter 8

This time, the celestial change did not last long. The unknown thing that was affecting Zheng Chen disappeared along with the celestial change, which made him even more uneasy.

What on earth was it?

Leaving all his money behind, Zheng Chen hurried out of the clothing store before the shopkeeper could say anything. He quickly changed into the new clothes in a small alley and found a secluded spot where he stared blankly at the open space nearby.

It seemed that the unknown thing from earlier had an effect on him. A semi-transparent veil appeared in his field of vision, shimmering with things that Zheng Chen could not understand at all. They flickered in and out of sight, and looking at them for too long made his eyes feel dizzy.

Even closing his eyes did not block it out. After about half an hour, the veil-like thing finally disappeared. Zheng Chen rubbed his eyes, which were now filled with bloodshot veins, and glanced at the sky before heading back.

It was still early. After resolving his personal issues, Zheng Chen wandered around the village casually. The peaceful atmosphere here brought him a great deal of enjoyment, something he could never experience in the wasteland.

For the next two days, the celestial changes occurred as if on a schedule, appearing very accurately. The village, which had been peaceful, now showed signs of vigilance.

These changes made people feel very uneasy. The 'veil' that appeared before Zheng Chen's eyes became more and more severe, and the bloodshot veins in his eyes worsened.

"Is the potion I gave you not working?" Ping Shizhi asked, examining Zheng Chen's eyes.

Zheng Chen shook his head. "It can alleviate the swelling and pain."

Ping Shizhi frowned. "It doesn't seem like a symptom of eye problems. Have you seen anything strange?"

Zheng Chen described the situation he encountered, and Ping Shizhi pondered, shaking his head. "I have never seen a condition like yours. Perhaps a hospital in some cities could provide some answers."

"..."

Hospital... Zheng Chen felt even more out of place. He didn't remember this place being a clinic, a very traditional one. Yet, the doctor mentioned a hospital...

"By the way, a lot of strange people suddenly came to the village today. Can you pay more attention to them?"

"I am also an outsider."

"You are trustworthy." Ping Shizhi smiled faintly, stroking his beard. "And there aren't many young people in the village who can match your skills."

Zheng Chen picked up the clothes beside him. Ping Shizhi was a very skilled doctor. The scars on his body had healed significantly in just a few days, with most of the scabs falling off, leaving no marks.

"The 'tattoos' on your body, though they can't be washed off, won't affect you. They are likely the result of contact with something special." When the scabs on Zheng Chen's body fell off, some features that were not originally his became visible.

His body was covered with marks like tattoos, not patterns, but hard lines like those on a circuit board.

Nodding, Zheng Chen put on his shirt, covering the gray lines on his body.

He dripped a few drops of the medicine provided by Ping Shizhi into his eyes. This medicine couldn't eliminate the bloodshot veins but could alleviate the swelling.

"Take this with you. It was left by a traveler in the past. I don't have much use for it." Ping Shizhi took out a pair of sunglasses—yes, sunglasses...

Zheng Chen was increasingly confused about the situation in this world.

Leaving the clinic, Zheng Chen calculated the days. It was already the eighth day since he arrived. Looking up at the sky, it was time for the celestial change, but it didn't appear today.

Rubbing his eyes, Zheng Chen leaned against the wall. His vision was blurry. Initially, he could still see the surroundings, but as the celestial changes increased, his condition worsened. Now, when it occurred, it was like he had severe myopia.

After about ten minutes, the fog in Zheng Chen's vision finally dissipated. He rubbed his eyes and dripped more medicine into them to alleviate the swelling.

Then, Zheng Chen looked at a few people on the street. The familiar feeling allowed him to immediately identify them as players.

He followed them quietly, listening to their conversation.

"Haha, after waiting a week, the game is finally open. We're lucky to be born near the village."

"Right, let's quickly find some quests to do."

"Speaking of which, this world is very different from other games. It's a free-form development, which is interesting."

"Let's check out that blacksmith shop over there."

The players heard the sound of hammering nearby and immediately had a new goal.

Zheng Chen followed them to the blacksmith shop. The blacksmith glanced at Zheng Chen and then focused back on the furnace.

He had been here for several days, and the villagers knew Zheng Chen. The village was very peaceful, and everyone recognized each other.

So, the news of these outsiders spread quickly.

"Boss, do you have any tasks for us?"

"..." The blacksmith was momentarily stunned. He knew Zheng Chen, who usually kept to himself, but these new outsiders... were they crazy?

"I don't need any help." The blacksmith shook his head, refusing.

Uh, the players realized they had been a bit rash. They were too excited and didn't realize that this game was different from traditional games.

"Let's try to blend in first. After all, the game manual says we can treat this place as a second world."

This game is called the Second World.

After a brief discussion, the players gave up on looking for 'quests' and were about to leave when one of them noticed Zheng Chen, blinking in confusion.

The moment their eyes met, the fog in Zheng Chen's vision shattered, and he fell into a brief daze. The fog blocking his vision disappeared, but the strange data streams flashing rapidly did not. Instead, they became even more frequent.

This time, not only his eyes but also his brain felt swollen and painful.

"Are you okay? Should I call Old Ping?" Seeing Zheng Chen sweating and trembling, the blacksmith quickly threw aside his hammer. Although he wasn't familiar with the young man, Ping Shizhi often praised him.

So, he had a good impression of Zheng Chen.

"…I'm fine." Zheng Chen shook his head with difficulty. The data streams in his vision, after reaching a peak, began to gradually calm down.

Saying he was fine, the blacksmith still wasn't reassured by Zheng Chen's appearance. He called over an apprentice and instructed him to run to Ping Shizhi's clinic.

"Turns out he's an NPC too." The players weren't too concerned about Zheng Chen's condition. They were more focused on how to quickly integrate into the village and achieve their first steps of development.

"I'm fine."

"Old man, I came all this way… Are you concerned about an old man?" Ping Shizhi said helplessly, having run all the way from his clinic.

The blacksmith's apprentice looked a bit aggrieved. He had carried Ping Shizhi on his back to get here quickly.

"Are you really fine?" The sweat on Zheng Chen's body was real. Ping Shizhi, with his medical knowledge, knew that the young man's endurance wouldn't make him sweat just from running from the clinic to the blacksmith shop.

"Uh-huh." Zheng Chen dripped more medicine into his eyes.

"…Let's talk back at the clinic."

Back at the clinic, Ping Shizhi poured Zheng Chen a cup of medicinal tea. "Did you find anything?"

After considering for a moment, Zheng Chen decided to tell the truth and see their reaction to the 'player' identity. However, as he started to speak, his hand trembled, and the wooden cup in his hand shattered, spilling the tea on the ground.

An extreme sense of danger descended upon him. Zheng Chen couldn't find the source of this feeling and couldn't reveal the identity of the players!

Taking a deep breath, Zheng Chen didn't know where this sense of danger came from, but the intense threat was undeniable. If he forced himself to speak, he would certainly face severe consequences. "I don't know, but similar outsiders must come from the same place."

Ping Shizhi nodded in surprise, tidying up the broken wood on the ground. He was a wise old man and could see Zheng Chen's reaction. The young man was honest, and if he didn't speak directly, there must be a necessary reason.

He didn't reveal much, but he did provide some information. Similar outsiders? These outsiders did have a peculiar feeling, which they could easily sense.

In any case, he would pay more attention to these outsiders in the future.

"May I ask one more time, are you related to them?"

"No." Zheng Chen answered decisively. Even if this was the 'game' world the players described, the players were clearly not from the wasteland era.

After answering, Zheng Chen waited for Ping Shizhi's response. He had given his answer, and if Ping Shizhi didn't believe him, he would leave.

"I believe you." Ping Shizhi smiled warmly. "I can see that you're not feeling well. Go back and rest. Thank you for your efforts."

Just as he left Ping Shizhi's clinic, Zheng Chen immediately realized he was being followed. The person following him retreated when Zheng Chen returned to his temporary residence. Zheng Chen closed the door and sat at the table, lost in thought.

The encounter at the blacksmith shop brought about some strange changes in him, such as the statistical data now floating in his vision.